


is it too late (to turn around)

by flustraaa



Series: the one where they're soulmates [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Doctor Alec Lightwood, Domestic Fluff, First Dates, Flirty Magnus Bane, Frustrated Alec Lightwood, Frustrated Magnus Bane, Gen, Guilty Magnus Bane, Insecure Alec Lightwood, Insecure Magnus Bane, Lawyer Magnus Bane, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Sad Magnus Bane, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Magnus Bane, Soulmate AU, Tired Alec Lightwood, drive in movies, pre slash malec, soft boyfriends, the morning after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 08:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19353436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flustraaa/pseuds/flustraaa
Summary: "It's been half an hour now since I dropped you homeAnd I'm driving past the places we both knowPast the bar where we first kissedAnd that movie that we missed."(from 7 minutes by dean lewis).





	is it too late (to turn around)

Magnus trudges up the steps to Alec’s apartment, walking slowly down the hall before coming to the apartment door that has become increasingly familiar in the last month. 

He lets three shallow knocks ring against the doorframe and Alec calls out a confirmation, footsteps heading towards the door.

When it opens, Alec is standing before him in a pair of sweatpants, wet hair hanging in his eyes, squinting at Magnus. 

“Oh, hey,” He breathes, eyebrows furrowing, “ _Magnus_... what’s up?” 

And Magnus isn’t sure how Alec is so calm around his soulmate— after all these years Magnus never even knew. 

“I was wondering... if you’d like to go for a _date_?” Magnus suggests an odd sense of bashfulness finding a way into its tone.  

Alec blinks, before nodding, glancing down at his watch, “Yeah, that sounds really nice. I’ll go get dressed.” 

He kicks the door open behind him, allowing Magnus to pass through, prior to turning on his heels and walking to get changed. 

Magnus finds his eyes returning to the picture frames along the wall, turning when he hears Alec’s footsteps behind him. 

“Do you want a hoodie?” He asks, holding out a royal blue one, “It’s a little later so I figure as long as you don’t have work tomorrow morning we could go to a drive-in?” 

Magnus most certainly does have work the next morning, but he’s not going to say a word about it to the beautiful human in front of him. 

“Sounds great,” Magnus beams, undoing his tie and unbuttoning his dress shirt before taking the hoodie and slipping it over his head. 

He twirls, finding Alec’s eyes watching his every move, “How do I look?” 

Alec nods, clearing his throat, “Great. You look great. We’ll take my car, come on.” 

And of all the things Magnus had expected, Alec outstretching his hand for Magnus to take was certainly not one of them. There was absolutely no way he would ever complain though. 

Alec picks up the wicker basket of pillows and blankets that rests in the corner of his living room, hand never letting go of his soulmates as he walks to his car. 

He plops the basket in his trunk, before coming around to open Magnus’ car. Unbeknown to Alec, who has his back facing Magnus as he walks around to the driver seat, Magnus presses a hand to his chest muttering, “What a _gentleman_ , my god.” 

When the door opens, however, Magnus drops his hand at lightning speed, glancing up at the raven haired man.  

“Buckled?” Alec questions, waiting for Magnus’ confirmation before turning the engine on and pulling out of the parking garage. 

The drive is mostly silent, a bit of Dean Lewis playing the background as Alec hums softly with the radio. 

They hit the midnight flow of traffic and Alec sighs, sinking against his seat as they come to a standstill. 

Magnus isn’t sure how to handle the silence, no matter how comfortable, any longer. So he tries to distract himself by taking in every detail of his soulmate. 

“What?” Alec asks, sparing a glance in Magnus direction before they return to the road. 

“Have you always needed glasses?” He inquires, trying to remember if there was a time when he’d known Alec without at least contacts. 

“When I started law school my eyes started getting worse,” He murmurs, flipping on his turn signal absently, “I despise my glasses but I’ve just been so exhausted lately contacts burn like hellfire.” 

Magnus nods thoughtfully, glancing up at the screens as Alec pulls through the ticket booth.  He reaches for his wallet, but Alec shakes his head, paying for their tickets before handing Magnus his own. 

“I could’ve paid—“ Magnus starts, but Alec cuts him off. 

“I know, but I owe you for hiding the whole soulmate thing for so long,” He breathes, pulling up before the screen, “And besides, there’s no point in working seventy-three hours a week if I don’t at least use the money.” 

Magnus rolls his eyes in fond exasperation as Alec shuffles out of the front seat, popping the trunk and putting down the seats in the back, before smothering the car in pillows and blankets before hopping in. 

Magnus states, unsure of how the hell two grown ass men are going to fit in the back of the _Ford Focus_ without touching. 

“Come on, I don’t bite,” Alec says, a crowbar smile pulling up the corner of his lips, parting beside him. 

The grin of victory Magnus receives when he’s pressed up next to Alec is well worth the prior panic and confusion he felt moments ago. 

Now that he’s settled, he discerns that there is, in fact, more space than he thought. This, however, doesn’t stop him from scrunching up besides Alec, feigning chilled. 

“Come here,” Alec susurrates, lifting the blanket for Magnus to cuddle up beneath. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Magnus asks softly, once he’s thoroughly invaded Alec’s personal space. 

“I seem to remember you never having an affinity to me,” Alec retorts, shuffling against the seat with a yawn, “I never said I didn’t like you.” 

And it hits Magnus at that moment that Alec was being honest... he’d never really outwardly shown anything to Magnus, moreover, that would be the reason Magnus originally thought Alec hated him too. 

“When I woke up after that movie,” Magnus glances up at Alec, seeing cerulean eyes focused on him, “We were spooning.” 

“Oh,” Alec murmurs, eyebrows furrowing, “I’m sorry. Is that okay?” 

“Yeah, it was actually really nice... but...” Magnus pauses and concern wells in his soulmate’s eyes, “When I was moving, you woke up briefly, and you called me babe.” 

“Oh...” Alec blurts, “Did... Is... Are you okay with that? I don’t even _remember_ it, sorry if I overstepped—“ 

“No, it’s fine. You were very clearly still mostly asleep, you didn’t even look at me... what I’m trying to say,” Magnus pauses, nerves fraying, “Is I really didn’t mind— like, I kind of _liked_ it a _lot_.” 

“Oh,” Alec states, like a broken record, “So like.... you and I.... you like where this is going right now?” 

Magnus can only motion affirmatively, and when Alec thinks he’s looked away, a gentle smile blooms on his face, and that to Magnus, is the world. 

And with that thought, the movie begins. 

They get about halfway through and it’s then and only then that Magnus realises Alec’s breaths are far too even for someone who's watching a horror movie. 

He glances up, seeing Alec cerulean eyes focused on the screen, but the distant look behind him tells Magnus that he might as well be a lightyear away. 

“What’re you thinking?” Magnus whispers, watching as Alec inhaled deeply, his voice mingling with the air after a pregnant pause.  

“When I was little I wanted a soulmate so bad. I wanted to love and be loved but my parents never let me have what I wanted,” Alec swallows hard and turns to Magnus, “I never want you to think that I don’t thank God every day for you being my soulmate; even if you hated me for four years. Magnus you and your eyes are beautiful. Your personality as well, but it’s just as if recent that it’s been directed towards me.” 

Magnus nods, guilt filling his veins and conscience nagging relentlessly, “And I’m so sorry, for that, Alexander.” 

Alec shrugs half-heartedly, eyes returning to the movie, stirring against the back of the seat to get more comfortable. 

Magnus has lost count of how many times he’s wanted to comb the hair from Alec’s eyes in the past weeks, but it’s now that he finally allows himself to act upon the urge. It’s soft and fluffy like a young child’s, and considering his relation to Isabelle, Magnus truly shouldn’t her all too surprised.

Magnus chuckles when Alec’s eyes close, leaning towards the touch, “Your hair is soft when you come out of the shower.” 

He laughs faintly, and Magnus flusters over the word vomit he’d just let free, but Alec doesn’t bring it up for the rest of the movie. 

It’s only once the second film starts that Magnus has the mild epiphany of the lifetime. 

“It really shouldn’t be all that difficult,” Alec murmurs under his breath, as the main character goes through his monologue, “It’s just a few simple vows. With this hand, I will take your wine, oh, no.” 

Magnus’ attention snaps to Alec, who has the decency to look flustered at the attention, “What?” 

“You know the movie?” Magnus asks softly, hoping his surprise doesn’t show. 

“Yeah, when I was younger I always kinda related to Victor, so Izzy and I watched it all the time,” He says, eyes still on the screen. 

Magnus, adorations swelling in his chest and butterflies roaming throughout his stomach, and in a moment of wisdom he blurts, “Can I kiss you?” 

Alec is silent for a moment, and Magnus is near apologising when he says, “Um... you can kiss my cheek? It’s all just—“ 

“Too sudden?” Alec nods to this, whether it’s for lack of better speech or embarrassment. 

“It’s not that I don’t want you to I’m just—“

“Confused?” Magnus finishes, kindly. 

“In less than a month, you’ve gone from wanting _to rip my throat out_ to wanting _to kiss me senseless_ , and I don’t know how to... I don’t know if you want to kiss _me_ , or if you want to kiss your _soulmate_.” 

“Oh, _Alexander_ ,” Magnus murmurs, squeezing Alec’s hand, “I’m _so_ sorry.” 

Alec shakes his head dismissively but says nothing more, and they spend the rest of the movie in silence, with Magnus’ head resting on Alec’s chest and fingers intertwined. 

It’s only when the dawn light peaks through and Magnus returns to the land of the living that he remembers saying yes to Alec’s proposal of spending the night at his flat. 

After this realisation, he hears the heavy breaths above him that signify in bold that Alec is still sleeping. He shuffles, turning off his phone’s alarm, and consequently waking Alec. 

“You leaving?” He rasps, reaching out for Magnus’ waist, clearly still in the grasp of slumber. 

“I have work, I’ll leave you to note though because you’re not going to remember this,” Magnus says sweetly, running a gentle thumb over his soulmates cheekbone, “Go back to sleep.” 

Alec hums an agreement, before rolling onto his back and burying his face in the pillow once more. It’s only when gentle snuffles fill the room, Magnus realises how utterly screwed he is in terms of his sleep to work ratio. 

This being said, of course, it only takes a moment for him to apprehend that he wouldn’t trade the night before for the _world_.


End file.
